Improvement in hydrants



?Limited sma patent fitimin.

Letters Patent No. 99,037, dated .Ta' uary 18, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN HYDRANTS.

The Schedule !efen-ed to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

I, J AMES WALSH, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Hydrants, of which the following is a specification.

Nature and Object of the Iwenton.

My invention consists, first, of a ball or bag of gut-tapercha or equivalent elastic and flexible material, which is attached to the lower end of what is kno'wn as the upright pipe of a lydrant, for the purpose of receiving the waste water, which would otherwise remain in the said pipe after the closing of the cock or valve, and which, if it should freeze, would have a tendency to burst the saidpipe; secondly, of certain devices, fully described hereafter, for compressing and releasing the said flexible bag, and for Operating the hydrant-valve or cock;and thirdly, of a valve of peculiar construction.

Description of the Accompanyiig Drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved hydrant;

Figure 2, a sectional view of the upper portion of the same, on the line 1-2, fig. 1;

Figure 3, a view of the lower portion of fig. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale; e

Figure 4, a seotional plan view ou the line 3-4, fig. 3; and

Figures 5 and 6, detached views, drawn to an enlarged scale, and illustrating portions of my iuvention.

General Description.

The casing of the hydrant consists, as usual, of an upper tubular portion, A, and of a tapering box, B, ot' rough boards, to which the upper portion is secui-ed, and which is sunk below the surface of the ground.

This tapering box B, instead of being open at the bottom, as usnal, has a bottom-piece, a, above which is a horizontal partition, b, for a purpose described hereafter:

The box also, in place of being merely nailed to the upper portion of the hydrant, is secured to the same, by means of a band or box, 0, of cast-iron or other met-al, which prevents the rotting away of the woodwork, at the surface of the ground, and enables the two sections of the hydrant to be readily detached from each other.

The water-supply pipe D enters the side of the box B, as usual, and communicates with 'the bottom of a v valve-casing, F, which rests upon the partition b. The valve G, within this casing, is of peculiar coustruction, and is designed especially for use in hydrants, with the View of obtaining a perfectly watertight joint when the valve is in its seat.

It consist of the valve proper, which is semicircular on its under side, and adapted t-o a similarly-shaped seat in the casing, and of a conical or tapering extension, c, beneatl the valve, which is likewise ground to a seat, the valve being, in fact, double, and the extensionc serving also to steady the uppersemicircular portion, which is acted on by a spiral spring, c wound upon the valve-stem c, the latter projecting npward through a stufing-box in the casing, as shown in figs. 3 and 6.

From the valve-casing, the water is conveyed, by a branch, e, to the upright pipe, D', the latter termi- `nating at its upper end in the usual nozzle f, and having secured to its lower end,- a ball or bag, H, of guttapercha or equivalent elastic or fiexible material, which must have a Capacity as great or greater than that of the entire pipe 1)'.

The ball H is arranged below the partition l), and has, in the present instauce, a stern, g, .by means of which it-is Secured to the pipe D', this stern projecting through an opening in the partition, andthrough a block of metal, J, secured to the under side of the said partition, to aid in the compression of the ball, as hereafter cxplained.

The Operating-rod K extends upward, through the tubular portion A of the hydrant, to a point above the nozzle 'j; where, in the present instance, it is connected to a handled lever, L, by which the rod is raised and lowered, in a manner which will be readily understood on reference to fig. 2, or the rod may, if desired, be operated by a screw, or in any other suitable manner. e

To the lower end of this rod, is secured a horizontal cross-piece, lo', one end of which is arranged to slide upon the valve-rod 0 between its sloulders t' 'i', while, to the opposite end of the said cross-piece, is secnred a yoke, M, consisting of rods 1) p, which extend downward through openings in the partition b, and of a oup-shaped plate, q, secured to these rods, and arranged to receive the lower portion of the compressible ball or bag H.

The operation of my improved hydrant is as follows:

On elevating the rod K, and its cross-piece K', .the yoke M will also be raised vertically, in such a manner as to compress the bag H, between the plate q and the semicircular block J, this occurring while the opposite end of the cross-piece K is moving between the shoulders i and i' of the valve-rod. \Vhen the bag has been almost comprcssed, however, the crosspiece will strike the shoulder i of the valve-rod, and will elevate the latter and its double valve, while the compression of the bag' is being completed, the water which enters at D consequently passing beneath the valve, and through the branch e, into the pipe D', and

rising through the letter until it is finally discharged from the nozzle f. (See figs. 3 and 6.)

All this, it should be borne in mind, oceurs while the bag is still compressed, so that when the level' or screw is operated in a contrary direction, and the operating-rod and its cross-piece are lower-ed, the valve, owing to the pressure of its spring 0 will first be closed, so as to shut off the supply of water, and on coutinuing the dowuward motiou of the cross-piece, the pressure of the yoke against the under side of the ball will be gradually relieved, so that 'the latter, owing to its own elasticity and the pressure of the oolumn of water in the pipe D', will be immediately expanded to its former dimensious, and will withdraw all of the water from the said pipe.

On again clevating the rod and cross-piece, the bag will be compressed, and the water expelled from the same before the valve is opened, so that it may when again expanded, withdraw the water from the pipe D'.

It will be evident, without further description, that by this simple arrangement, the difliculties arising from the freezing and wasting of the water which is usually permitted to remain in hydrant-pipes, will be entirely overcome.

The metal band or box C, which unitesthe upper portion of the lydrant to' the box B, not only prevets the rotting away of the Wood-work at the base of the hydrant, but enables the upper section of the latter tobe readily detached, when any of the parts contained within the said box B are to be removed or repaired, this obviating the usual necessity of digging up the hydrant when repairs 'are needed.

arranged for attachment to the lower end of ahydrantpipe, D', for the purpose of receiving the water which would otherwiseremain in the said pipe after the closing of the hydrant-Valve or cook, all substantially as herein set forth.

2. The. said ball or bag, arranged to be compressed between a mor-able cnp-shaped pla-te q and a stationary onrved block, J, substantially in the manuer described. i

3. The oompressing-yoke M, and valve-rod c so operated, by means of a cross-piece, K', that the rod and its' valve shall remain statiouary unt-il the yoke has almost reached the limit of its upward movement, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The cross-piece K', permaneutly Secured at one end to the yoke M, and arranged to slide, at its opposite end, between shoulder-s i and z" of the valve rod c ,al1 s'ubstantially as herein set forth.

5. The valve G, have an extension, c, on its under side, and acted ou by a spring, c both the valve and its extension being adapted to seats formed in the casiug F, substantially as herein set forth.

(i. The metal box C, having a vertical portion adapted for the reception of the lower end of the hyclrant-casing A, and a tlaring portion, for the reception of' the upper end of the tapering box B, and arranged, in respect to the two portions, and to the surface of theground in which the box B is embedded, as set fortl, so as to preserve the said parts from corrosion or decay, as well as to eli'ectually couple the same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presene of two subseribing witnesses.

JAMES WALSH.

Witnesses:

J OHN WHITE, LOUIs BOSWELL. 

